Secrets and Lies
by Kreliana
Summary: Pan's been keeping a secret from Gohan and Videl. What happens when they find her diary and see what it is? (P/SK)
1. Unveiling

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or DBGT.  

Note: If there are any inconsistencies with DBGT, they have been removed for creative purposes.  After all, this is fanfiction.  Enjoy!

Secrets and Lies

By: Lady Kreliana

Kreliana@aol.com

                "It seems like cleaning is all I ever do around here," Videl said as she cleaned up her house.  Gohan and Pan certainly did know how to make a mess.  Between the two of them, it seemed as though her cleaning would never be done.  Just as she got done vacuuming the living room, Pan came down from her room.

                "Hey, Mom.  Cleaning again?"

                "Somebody has to keep this place in shape.  It's not like you or your father are going to clean the house.  By the way, I'm glad you're out of your room, it's next on my list."  Pan looked at Videl nervously, "Aww, don't worry about my room, Mom.  I'll clean it up later, I promise."

                "Oh, I haven't heard THAT before," Videl rolled her eyes.

                "But..."

                "No buts, young lady.  You should be leaving soon anyway.  Your class starts in half an hour."  Pan continued to look at her mother nervously, "All right, Mom."

                "Panny, are you ok?"

                "Umm, yeah, I just didn't realize it was so late.  I'll probably go over to Bra's or Marron's after class, so don't expect me home right away."

                "Ok, dear.  Bye!"

                "Bye, Mom!"  As Pan left, Videl couldn't help but notice her daughter's odd behavior.  She'd been acting strangely for a while now.  Videl pondered this behavior as she came to Pan's room.  She rolled her eyes as she looked inside.  Dirty clothes were piled by the bed, empty bags of chips were scattered across the floor, soda cans were spewed everywhere, and the bed was unmade.  

                "Maybe she'll start acting like herself again once I clean up all this trash."  Videl started with the bed.  She hated a messy bed.  As she stripped the sheets, she heard something fall onto the floor.

                "What was that?"  She looked behind the bed for an answer.  Since Pan was as tidy as most people her age, finding the object was quite a task.

                "Aha," Videl said as she came across a small blue book with a latch.  She had just discovered Pan's diary.  Videl was ready to put the diary into a drawer, when she remembered Pan's odd behavior.  She looked at the book again.

                "No!  Pan wouldn't hide anything from me.  I'm her mother!  I should respect her privacy. Yes, that's exactly what I'm going to do."  Videl put the diary onto Pan's desk, and took the dirty sheets to the laundry room.

                "On second thought," Videl went back to Pan's room; "I think I should just to prove my doubts wrong."  Videl opened the diary to the first page and started reading.

-_Today was my 20th birthday and Marron gave me this diary as a gift…-_

                "No, that's too far back," Videl skimmed through the pages until she found something of interest.

                _-I went into the mountains today to do some training, but while I was there, something happened.  Something kinda bad that turned really good.  I was taking a break from my training when I sensed a strong ki behind me.  I didn't recognize who it was right away, so I attacked without thinking.  Unfortunately, he was MUCH stronger than me, so I got the crap beat out of me.  I think I was out in about 5 seconds.  He then took me to his house to heal up, since I was such a mess.  (I'll refer to him as he from now on, in case Mom or Dad decide to snoop through my personal stuff.)  When I came to, the first thing I saw was him.  Once he introduced himself, I instantly knew I was in heaven.   He sat me up and asked me if I was ok.  When I told him I was fine, he smiled at me.  He has such a cute smile.  Sure, most women might not find him attractive, he is a bit short with funky hair, but those deep, dark, passionate, eyes, and that cute smile of his are what won me over.    Anyway, he helped me to my feet, and offered to take me home.  I would have been a fool to have said no!  As we flew to my house, he and I talked.  Just talked.  It was so nice to talk to a man for a change.  Sure, Dad and Uncle Goten are nice to talk to, but they always treat me like little Panny.  It was nice to finally have a conversation with someone and be considered an adult.  I am 21 after all. (Yeah, I've had this diary for a year now.)  When we got about a mile from my home, he left.  But before he did, he confessed that he enjoyed our little chat together and that he wanted to see me again.  I couldn't believe it!  He wanted to see me again.  I said I'd like to see him again, so we're going to meet tomorrow in the mountains.  I can't wait. -_

                Videl closed the journal.  She looked up for a moment, staring with a look of shock on her face.  Her daughter's dark secret had come to light.  Pan had a boyfriend, but whom?  Videl started to get worried.  Pan was dating someone, but she didn't know whom.  Her heart started pounding, her breathing became heavy, and the room became hot as a wave of maternal fears swept over her.  What was 'he' like?  Did 'he' treat Pan well?  Is she sleeping with this guy?  Why was Pan lying to her and Gohan?  She couldn't do this alone.  She had to call Gohan.  She ran to the phone and quickly dialed the number for Gohan's office.

                "Hello?"

                "Gohan!"

                "Hey, Videl.  Is something wrong?"

                "Gohan, can you come home?"  Gohan was taken by surprise with Videl's quick response.  

                "Y, Yeah, what's wrong?  Did something happen to you or Pan?

                "No, but this does concern her.  I can't explain over the phone, please hurry."

                "All right, I'm on my way," Videl hung up the phone and went back into Pan's room.  She decided to read more of the diary to find any more clues about Pan's mystery man.  She opened the journal to the next entry.

                _-I met him in the mountains again today, and we had a great time together.  No, not like that. – Videl sighed with relief._

_ –We were hungry, so we stopped by a small café for some lunch.  I had this awesome quiche, ok, I had about 3 of them (I love my Saiyan metabolism.) and he had the same.  What shocked me was that he recommended it.  I didn't know he ate in public, let alone at cafes.  _

_                Today he told me a lot of his 'partner.'  Last time I'd seen him (before yesterday) they were kinda 'hooked together' so to speak.  He'd told me that their breakup was extremely painful, and was a little reluctant to talk about it, so he paid the bill and we left. –_

"Hooked together, did she walk in on this guy and his ex?" Videl asked herself.

_-He said that after yesterday's incident, that he'd enjoy having a proper spar with me.  I went home to change into some sparring clothes and returned to the mountains where he was waiting for me.  I was really nervous, especially since I knew what he was capable of.  Since he was being a gentleman that day, he went easy on me.  No bruises, broken bones, and especially no K.O.s this time.  In fact, he even showed me a few new moves.  I've never had so much fun with a guy before.  Gosh, Mom and Dad would freak if they knew I was dating a guy much older than me (or them for that matter).-_

"He's older than us?"  Now Videl was really worried.  What kind of older man would go after a 22 year old?  She was convinced this man was taking advantage of Pan's young, inexperienced mind.  Then she heard Gohan burst into the house.

"Videl!  Where are you?" he shouted.

"I'm in Pan's room," she replied.  Before Videl could blink, Gohan was standing next to her.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Gohan asked, confused.  Videl handed him the journal.  He looked it over; as he did, his eyes got bigger and bigger.  Once he had read as much as Videl, he looked at her, almost horrified.  Videl had tears swelling in her eyes, "Why would she do this, Gohan?" she started crying, Gohan gently held her, "I'm so scared something's gonna happen to her."  

Gohan started to tense, "If this bastard did anything to my little Panny…"

"Gohan, what do we do now?"

"The only thing we _can_ do, confront her.  She's obviously not going to tell us about this."  Gohan let go of Videl.  She wiped the tears off of her face and nodded, "You're right.  She said she was going to either Bra's or Marron's after class.  Let's call Bra first, she's more likely to be there."  

Videl walked to the phone and dialed the number for the Briefs' household.  A deep, gruff voice answered.

"What?"  It was Vegeta.  Videl didn't like talking to Vegeta, so she threw the phone at Gohan.

"Thanks, Videl," he then, reluctantly, picked up the phone and started talking, "Hello?"

"Who is this and what do you want?"

"It's Gohan.  Is Pan there?"  Gohan could hear Vegeta yelling for Bra in the background.  He could barely make out their conversation.

"Yes, Daddy?"

"Kakarott's brat wants to know if _his_ brat is here.  Is she?"

"Nope."  Vegeta picked up the phone and shot a loud, "No," into the receiver.

"Thanks anyway, Vegeta."  They hung up.  Gohan called Krillin and 18's house next.

"Helllloooo," Krillin cheerfully answered.

"Hey, Krillin."

"Hey, Gohan, what's up?"

"Has Pan been there today?"

"Here?  Sorry, bro.  Haven't seen her at all today."

"Dammit, thanks anyway." Gohan hung the phone up and looked at Videl.  He shook his head, "She lied to us again, Videl."

"Well… let's call ChiChi.  Maybe she went there." Before he could protest, Videl had dialed ChiChi's number.

"Son residence."

"ChiChi, it's Videl. Has Pan been at your place recently?"

"Not today, why?" Videl frowned and sighed.  When Gohan saw his wife's reaction, he did the same.  They looked at each other, dumbfounded with their daughter's behavior.

"Videl, you there?" ChiChi yelled

 "Oh!  Sorry, ChiChi.  Pan said she was going over to Bra's or Marron's after class, but she's not at either's house, and we can't find her anywhere…"

"WHAAAAAAAAT???? I can't believe she lied to you two.  That's not like her at all."

"Yeah, I know.  If she does show up at your place, please call us."

"Of course, Videl.  Bye-bye!"  Videl hung up the phone, and stared into space with disbelief on her face.  

"Not there either?" Gohan asked.  Videl simply nodded, "I need to sit down.  Gohan, I'm going to the living room."  

"Ok, I'll keep you company."  Gohan and Videl sat on their couch.  Videl had noticed Gohan taking something out of his back pocket; a small blue book, Pan's diary, which he began to read.

"Gohan, if you're going to read it, read it out loud."

"Ok, dear," Gohan shifted his position slightly, and began reading more of Pan's diary.

_-Sorry I haven't had much time to update you lately.  School, him, and other things have been making me so busy, I just haven't had the time.  Today started out bad, but ended good.  First, Dad and I had an argument.  It got ugly.  I don't even remember what we were arguing about, I just remember how angry I was, and how angry he was.  It was horrible.  I've never fought like this with Dad and I hope I never will again.  Mom was crying because we were so loud, so insulting, so full of anger.  I don't remember much of what happened after we argued, I remembered leaving the house because I had a date that evening with him.  I was still fired up when I met him.  He tried to get me to talk about it, but I wasn't in the mood.  I hated Dad at that moment.  He had gotten me so angry that I was being cold to my boyfriend.  Suddenly, I felt tears swelling into my eyes.  I tried to be strong; I didn't want to cry in front of him.  He put his hand on my shoulder, turned me around, and held me.  I couldn't hold the tears back any longer, and I cried.  I told him about the argument with Dad, and I cried.  He didn't say anything at all; he just let me get all of my anger out, and all of my tears out.  When I was done, I picked my head off of his shoulder, and he, surprisingly, wiped a few of the tears off of my face.  He then held my face in his hands; he looked at me for a moment, then drew me in.  Before I knew it, he was kissing me.  For the first time, we kissed each other.  In that instant, all of my sorrows seemed to vanish.  It was so passionate, so perfect, it was what I needed.-_

"That's enough for now," Gohan stated.  Videl nodded.  His heart sank as he tried to remember the argument Pan wrote about in her journal.  He'd never forgive himself if he did something that would make Pan rebel like this.  The two sat next to each other for a while, in an awkward silence.  Both of them wanted to talk about this, but neither had the courage to bring it up.  It was too painful, all of it.  Pan had been dating someone without their knowing, and was lying to them about it.  Why? What could be so awful about this person that she'd need to hide it?  Why was Pan treating her relationship as if it were some illicit love affair from a bad soap opera?  The silence was getting to Gohan, the more he thought of this, the less he wanted to.

"Videl, lets get out of here."

"Huh?"

"I wanna get my mind off of this, it's driving me insane."

"Well, I have some shopping I've gotta do.  Why don't we go to the mall?"

"All right, that sounds like a great idea."

Satan City Mall, the largest shopping center in the country and everyone's favorite place to shop.  It didn't take long to distract Videl's mind from Pan's behavior, once she saw all the sales she got down to business.  Videl took Gohan to the second floor of the mall to get to her favorite clothing store.

"Here, Gohan," Videl then shoved her purse at him.  She promptly ran into the store, giddy as if it was her first time in the store.  Gohan hated carrying Videl's purse, it was so demeaning to him.  He decided to walk around the mall for a bit, he knew it would take Videl a while to go through that store.  Suddenly, a gruff, sarcastic voice sounded from behind him.

"The purse matches your outfit wonderfully, brat.  Is this how you celebrate your 'feminine side?'" Vegeta not only startled Gohan, but was also laughing at him. 

However, Gohan's attention was diverted by something in Vegeta's hand, "Yours too, I see," Gohan said while pointing to the purse in Vegeta's hand.

"Uhh, _ahem_ it's Bra's, you fool!"  Vegeta's face turned bright red as he tried to hide the purse behind him.  He then tried to change the conversation, "So, you here with your brat too?"

"No," Gohan replied, "I'm here with Videl.  As a matter of fact, I don't know where Pan is, or what she's doing.  Apparently she has some mystery boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?"  Vegeta started to stiffen, "She has a boyfriend and hasn't told you?"

"Yeah, Videl and I dunno what to do about it either."  All of a sudden, Bra spoke up from within the store.  
                "DA~DDY!!! COME HE~RE!!!"  Vegeta rolled his eyes and walked toward his daughter.  He gave her purse to her, and then went to resume his conversation with Gohan.

"So, Gohan, do have any idea as to who this 'mystery boyfriend' is?"  Gohan was a little shocked at Vegeta's question.  It was a rare occasion that Vegeta ever cared about something other than training.  Maybe he was just being polite, or making conversation, it didn't really matter to Gohan.  He thought it was nice that Vegeta was being somewhat social.

"No, Vegeta.  She did give a description in her journal though."

"One of Kakarott's spawns invading his own daughter's privacy.  I didn't think you were that low," Vegeta laughed.

"Very funny, Vegeta, but this is serious."

"Maybe you should let the girl be."

"How can you say that?  What if this were Bra?"  Vegeta looked away for a moment.  He knew Gohan had got him.  

"Pan is my only child," Gohan continued, "and I'm worried that she's doing something that could hurt her.  I don't like the thought of her dating an older man, I'm worried he's manipulating her."

"I think Pan is intelligent enough to see through something like that."

"Lets hope you're right," Gohan sighed, and looked at his watch, "It's almost 3:00 pm.  I think I'll grab Videl and head to the food court.  Why don't you and Bra join us?"  Suddenly Bra burst out of the store with tons of shopping bags, "Yeah, Gohan!  We'd love to join you."  

"Bra…"Vegeta muttered.

"Oh come on, Dad, pleeeeeeeeease," Bra gave him her sad, puppy dog eyes that made Vegeta melt every time.

"Oh all right," he said. Squealing with joy, Bra went to find Videl.   Vegeta and Gohan made their way to the food court.  It was, as usual, swamped with hungry shoppers.

"Why don't you go find a seat, Vegeta, and I'll order some food," Gohan suggested.  Vegeta agreed, looked around for a moment, and found no available tables.  So, he decided to make one available by shoving some nearby teenagers out of their seats.  Gohan quickly walked away to the nearest fast food line.   He ordered thirty cheeseburgers, twenty pizzas, thirty-five boxes of fries, fifteen cherry pies, and seventeen soft drinks.  Ordering food for a saiyan, and two half saiyans was no easy task.  Gohan brought the food to the table, and shortly thereafter Videl and Bra arrived.

"I don't think you ordered enough food, Gohan," Videl joked.

"You're probably right," Vegeta sarcastically replied.  Gohan gave a small smile before the four dug in.  While they were eating, Gohan decided to ask Bra if she knew who Pan's boyfriend was.

"Hey, Bra."

"Mmf, one sec," Bra swallowed some pizza, "Yes, Gohan?"

"Did you know Pan has a boyfriend?"  Bra's eyes widened with shock.  

"You do know something, don't you, Bra."

"No, I'm just shocked that she didn't tell me.  I'll have to squeeze this info out of her.  Ooooh!  I love good gossip!"  Bra giggled and resumed eating her pizza.

"Are you sure, Bra?"

"Dammit, boy, she says she doesn't know anything," Vegeta yelled, "Leave my daughter alone."

"Hey, sorry Vegeta.  I didn't mean to hound her ya know."

"Guys," Videl interrupted, "Lets just eat."

"I just wanted to see if she knew anything."

"You'd better listen to your wife, Gohan," Vegeta responded steely.  The four sat in silence until their meal was finished.

"Ahh, I'm full.  How about you guys?" Videl asked.

"Me to," Bra replied.  Gohan and Vegeta remained silent.  Gohan felt something in his back pocket, and reached back to see what it was.  When he pulled it out, he realized he brought Pan's diary with him.

"Whoops, I guess I forgot to put this back in Pan's room, heh heh."

"Gohan," Videl rolled her eyes, "I can't believe you brought that with you."

"It's not like I planned to…" before he knew it, Bra had snatched the diary from him.

"Lets see what we can find," she giggled.  She opened the diary to a new entry and started reading to everyone.

-_I saw him again today after class.  We went to our usual café.  Today I decided to surprise him by taking him to an amusement park.  I think I was more amused than he was heheheh.  We, rather I, decided to go on a roller coaster first.  He had never been on a roller coaster before, so he didn't know what to expect.  While we were going up the first hill, all he could say were things like, "I don't understand what's so amusing about this, we're going up a hill."  I told him to wait until we start to go down, and to just relax.  He rolled his eyes a little, but when we went down the hill, he let out the funniest scream I'd ever heard. " HOOWAAAAAAAA~~AAAAH!!"  We got off the ride and I couldn't stop laughing.  He kept telling me, "That's not funny," but I couldn't help it.  I told him that if he wanted we could watch some of the shows that they had in the mini theatres and saloons if he wanted.  He said he'd like that, so that's what we did.  Toward the end of the day, we hit a Wild West style saloon that was having one of those old-fashioned style singers.  We were enjoying the show, until the singer decided to bring him onto the stage.  She wrapped her red boa around his neck, and then she proceeded to wrap her arms around his waste and sway them back and forth while singing.  He was a good sport and played along, but I could tell how embarrassed he was.  Once she was done with the song, he hurried back to our table.  I thanked him for being such a good sport and that I owed him one.  He admitted that he had a little fun onstage.  The next show we saw was a killer whale show.  They basically did some tricks and since it was nighttime, they had some flashy laser lights and different colored spotlights.  He had his revenge on me during that show.  He insisted that we sit in the front row to get a good view of the show.  Once we found our seats, and the show started, he got up saying he needed a drink and was going to the concession stand.  Meanwhile, I watched the show.  All of a sudden, one of the whales jumps into the air right in front of where I was sitting.  At first I thought, "Oh how cool!" but soon realized what would happen next.  The massive thing crashed into the water, splashing everyone including me.  I got soaked.  I heard a faint laughter to my right.  There he was, laughing at me.  It seemed that he asked the trainers to splash the area I was sitting at on purpose. -_

Bra closed the journal because she was laughing so hard, "Poor Panny, tee hee."

"I gotta admit," Videl said, "That was really funny." Gohan let out a light chuckle to agree.  Vegeta stared at the three; "I think we've read enough of this for today."  He took the journal out of Bra's hands and thrusted it toward Gohan.

"Lighten up, Vegeta," Gohan said.

"Hmph," Vegeta turned to Bra, "Aren't you glad that your mother and I never go through your personal belongings?"  Gohan stood up quickly, with an angry expression on his face.

"Well, we need to go home.  It was nice seeing you again, Bra," Gohan coldly stated.

"But Gohan, I'm not done with my…" Videl argued.

"Pan may be there," Gohan interrupted.

"You're right," Videl sighed, "I'll see you guys soon." Bra looked up cheerfully, while her father merely stood there,  "Bye Gohan and Videl!" 

Gohan and Videl left the mall and returned home, where Pan was busy training in their front yard.

"Hey Mom, hey Dad," Pan greeted.  Gohan silently walked toward her.  Pan started to worry when her father didn't greet her back, "Dad, what's wrong?"

"We have to talk, young lady."

"What's up?"   

"This," Gohan took out Pan's journal, and handed it to her.  She looked at him with anger and horror.

"You've been going through my journal?  How could you invade my privacy like this?!?" 

Gohan folded his arms, "I can't say I'm sorry we did either…"

"How dare you!" she interrupted, "This is none of your business!" 

 Gohan unfolded his arms, "Who is he, Pan?" he yelled.  

"I don't have to tell you," she spat while turning her back to him.  

Gohan spun her around and shouted, "While you're living under my roof, you _will_ tell me what you're doing."   

Videl ran in between the two, "Both of you calm down," she shifted to Pan and put a hand on her shoulder, "Sweetie, we're just concerned.  Please tell us who 'he' is."

Pan pushed her mother's hand off of her shoulder, "The hell I will!"

"Don't talk to your mother that way!" Gohan shouted.

"Fine, I won't talk to her at all! I'm outta here," Pan said and flew away as fast as she could.

"GET BACK HERE!" Gohan shouted.  He tried to fly after her, but Videl stopped him.

"Gohan let her go.  You're both too angry to discuss this rationally."

"No, I'm gonna follow her.  She might be running to her boyfriend."  Videl sighed.  She knew she couldn't stop Gohan.

"Fine, but I'm going with you."

"All right, dear."  The two of them took flight after their daughter.  Pan had a head start, but Gohan and Videl soon caught up to her.  They were in flight for a while, until they reached the city, and eventually, the Briefs' residence.  

"She must be here to visit Bra," Videl said.  Pan walked up to the door and Vegeta let her inside.

"Lets go home, Gohan.  We'll give her, and you, 'til tomorrow to cool down."

"…ok."  The two made their journey back home.  They didn't do much for the remainder of the evening.  Gohan tried to watch TV with Videl, but he was constantly thinking about Pan.  He couldn't fall asleep that night, he was too angry, too worried.  The days events went through his mind in a constant cycle; Videl's phone call, the diary entries, the mall incident, the argument, all of it. 

Suddenly, Videl snuggled next to him, "Gohan, go to sleep.  You can worry about it in the morning."

"I can shake this off Videl."

"We'll go to the Briefs' house tomorrow."

"Hopefully Vegeta will be there to help me break up any fights you and Panny will get into," Videl joked.

"Heh.  What was with him today anyway?  He was acting completely unlike himself."

"I dunno, Gohan, just go to sleep."  

Videl then dozed off.  Gohan's mind was taken off of Pan for a moment as he thought about Vegeta's behavior.  _Maybe Vegeta just has a soft spot for girls.  I know how he is around Bra_, Gohan thought.  _Maybe he's the one Pan's dating, heh,_ he joked to himself. He let out a small laugh.  Vegeta dating Pan, that was a good one.  However, the more he thought about it, the more worried he became.  _Naah_, he thought, _Vegeta has Bulma.  He'd never cheat on her.  Although, that description does kinda fit him.  No, he's not dating my little girl. _ Flashbacks of the day's events at the mall swept through Gohan's mind.  Could Vegeta's "concerned" behavior have been nothing more than a lecherous man saving his own skin?  _No, Vegeta might be cold and ruthless, but he's a one-woman man.  Even though he matches Pan's description pretty well, loves to spar, and would probably go after the only female with Saiyan blood not related to him.  _Gohan stopped denying his thoughts.  He put his hands on his face.  _My God.  It _is_ Vegeta.  Vegeta is…with my daughter._  Gohan shot straight up with such force that he knocked Videl on the floor while yelling, "Son of a bitch!"

"Gohan, WHY AM I ON THE FLOOR?"

"Vegeta, he, Pan, they," Videl put up her hands to shush Gohan.

"Ok, ok, calm down and tell me what it is?"

"It's Vegeta."

"Huh?  What's Vegeta?"

"Think about it Videl.  He has strange hair, he loves to spar, he's short, he's older than Pan, you, and me, also, remember when Pan said she got beat up the first time she met him, and he took her to his house to heal?  They have medical facilities at Capsule Corp."

"No…"Videl put her hands over her mouth and shook her head.

"One other thing, where's Bulma been?  She didn't seem to be at Capsule Corp earlier today.  Remember when Pan spoke of a break up?  Bulma and Vegeta are probably separated.  They're having marital problems, so Vegeta's finding a new 'mate.'  Who does he pick?  The only female saiyan unrelated to him."  Videl looked up at him.

"I can't believe this.  I think you're right."

"I'm going to kill him."  Gohan started to get out of bed when Videl stopped him.

"Tomorrow, Gohan, lets sleep tonight.  You can't kill a saiyan prince without sleep."  Gohan knew she was right, so he lay down again and tried to sleep.

The next morning, Gohan and Videl were up bright and early because they wanted to get to Capsule Corp as soon as they could.  They left their house at 8:45 that morning to confront Vegeta about his relationship with Pan.  When they arrived, they saw Vegeta in the gravity chamber training, as usual.   Gohan ran up to the chamber's door and pounded on it.  Vegeta turned off the gravity and opened the door, clearly not pleased.

                "This had better be good," he shouted.

                "Vegeta, we need to talk to you about something, so get out here, now," Gohan coldly demanded.  
                "Make it quick."

                "What have you been doing with my daughter?"  Vegeta raised an eyebrow.

                "What the hell are you talking about, boy?"  Gohan's anger, and his energy started rising.

                "You know damn well what I'm talking about.  I know you're Pan's mystery boyfriend."  Vegeta looked at him dumbfounded.

                "Are you insane?  Why would I want your daughter?"

                "Why not, Vegeta?  She's young, beautiful, is a powerful fighter, and more importantly a saiyan."

                "This is ridiculous."

                "You say that because you know it's true.  Besides, where's Bulma?  Pan wrote of a breakup between her boyfriend and his 'partner,' and since Bulma's nowhere to be found…"

                "You fool," Vegeta interrupted, "Bulma is on business!"

                "Stop denying it Vegeta," Gohan's anger was peaking, "You son of a bitch, you're fucking my daughter!"  Before anyone knew it, Gohan went super saiyan and was attacking Vegeta with a flurry of punches.  

Vegeta took to the air, "If you're looking for a fight, I won't deny you," he then shot a ki blast at Gohan, but he easily dodged.  Vegeta charged towards Gohan, and hit him in the jaw with a punch, knocking Gohan off balance.  Gohan quickly recovered and got into his fighting stance.   However, Vegeta was already behind him, "You see, boy, this is what happens when you don't train," he then kicked Gohan in the gut, "You become WEAK."  Gohan kicked Vegeta in the face and followed through with a backhand across his mouth.  Vegeta countered with an energy blast.  Soon the two were fighting all over the city.  People on the streets were watching from below as the two were battling above them.  

                Gohan wiped blood off of his mouth.  Vegeta was too powerful for him; it was obvious from the start.  Regardless, he fought on.  He charged Vegeta aiming a kick at his head, Vegeta dodged it and countered with a punch to Gohan's stomach.  As he doubled over in pain, Vegeta hammer fisted Gohan, sending him crashing into the ground.  Vegeta followed, and pinned Gohan to the ground.  Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed nearby.

"Vegeta, what're you doing?"  He released his chokehold on Gohan and instantly turned to see that Pan was behind him.    He got off of Gohan, knowing the game was up.  There was no use in hiding anything anymore.  Gohan slowly got up to see his daughter... holding hands with someone.  Obviously _this _was her boyfriend, not Vegeta.  He wasn't lying after all; it almost appeared as if he was actually _covering_ for Pan, _helping_ her keep her secret.  

Vegeta looked at Gohan, then Pan, "I'm sorry, Pan, I did not intend for this to happen." 

"It's all right, Vegeta.  I'm grateful that you kept this quiet and didn't tell anyone.  Thanks for helping me out." 

Vegeta stood silent as Gohan looked at the couple.  Pan was visibly nervous, afraid of what could happen, and possibly afraid of losing everything dear to her.  However, her boyfriend remained completely calm.  _Have I seen him before, _Gohan thought.  He looked at her boyfriend again.  He was dressed in everyday apparel; blue jeans, white shirt, casual boots, a hat, and sunglasses, yet he just looked _too_ familiar.  _I know I've seen him before_.  He slowly took off his sunglasses, his hat, and stared directly at Gohan. Once they were off, and Gohan could see his face clearly, the identity of this person was no longer a secret.  

Gohan was speechless save for five words, "What the hell is THIS?"  

Videl, in the meantime, had been trying to catch up with Gohan during his fight with Vegeta, and was finally on the scene with her husband and daughter.

"Gohan!  Are you ok?"  Videl huddled over her husband to make sure he wasn't injured, oblivious to the couple behind her.  Gohan looked at her blankly, "It's not Vegeta."  Videl was confused.

"Huh?  What's not Vegeta?"

"Pan's boyfriend," Gohan gestured toward the couple, " it's not Vegeta."

"Who is he then?"

                "He...he's the...Supreme Kai."  Videl was as shocked as Gohan.  Her hand slowly crept to her mouth as she looked at the man next to Pan.  There was no mistaking it, he really was the Supreme Kai.

                "Panny!" Videl was horrified.  Her look of disgust sent chills up her daughter's spine.

                "YOU!" She spat at the Supreme Kai, "What's that matter with you? She's just a child!"  

Shin was taken aback,  "I beg your pardon?"  

Pan was burning with fury.

                "I am NOT a child!"

                "I'm going to agree with Videl.  And you!" Gohan muttered to Vegeta, "YOU _knew_ about this?" Vegeta confirmed this by shrugging his shoulders.  Videl turned to Vegeta, "You knew? How?"

                "Bra told me."

                "BRA?  How did she know?"  

Pan spoke up, "I told Bra."

                "When was this?" Videl asked.

                "About eight or nine months ago…"

                _I had been dating Shin for nearly half a year at the time.  For half a year I had kept my relationship with Shin a secret, and it was tearing me apart inside.  The desire to tell someone became too great, so I decided to tell my best friend, Bra.  I called her one morning and told her that I had something I had to tell her, and that it was BIG.  She asked me to come over that afternoon so we could talk about it.  I still remember how excited she was when she answered the door.  I don't think I even got a chance to knock on the door before she answered it, and dragged me to her room.  Once we were there, she plopped onto her bed, and motioned for me to do the same thing._

_                "Ok, spill it!" She ordered.  I giggled a little and smiled.  Bra perked up a little, "Panny, this a good secret, isn't it?"_

_                "Yes, yes it is, but before I tell you, you've gotta promise that you won't tell ANYONE." Bra nodded quickly._

_                "Ok, Bra, I'll tell you.  For the past five months…"_

_                "Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh."_

_                "I've had a boyfriend."  Bra sat up and had a huge smile on her face._

_                "No way!!!  I can't believe it!!!  Why didn't you tell me?  More importantly who is he?"_

_                "The main reason why I haven't told anyone is because of who he is.  Mom and Dad would freak if they knew."_

_                "Aww, c'mon Pan, tell MEEE!" Pan rolled her eyes a little, "Ok, ok, I'll tell you."  Bra's look of anticipation at this point was priceless.  Both of her hands were gripped into her comforter, her eyes were as wide as baseballs, and her mouth was hanging wide open._

_                "Tell me, tell me, tell me!"_

_                "ALL RIGHT!  Bra, I've been dating the Supreme Kai." _

_ Bra looked at me for a moment, then burst out laughing, "Yeah, Pan, I'm sure your boyfriend is one of the guardians of the universe."  Bra put a hand on my shoulder and continued to laugh.  I was rather irritated with her when she didn't believe me._

_                "Bra, I'm serious!"  She looked up at me, and could tell I wasn't joking around.  She was flabbergasted_

_                "Whoa," she stammered, putting a hand on her forehead, "How did you manage to land the Supreme Kai?"  _

_                "I dunno, it just happened."  Bra looked around for a moment, trying to register all this.  When it finally sunk in, she got this curious look on her face, and I knew she was about to say something incredibly stupid._

_                "What I wanna know, Panny, is what your name will be when you marry him.  Pan Kai?  Pan Supreme Kai?  Supreme Pan Kai?  Pan Kai Supreme?"  We looked at each other for a moment and laughed.  Trying to think of married names kept us entertained for a good while._

_                "So, when will you introduce me to him?"_

_                "I never really thought about it."_

_                "Aww, please?"_

_                "I'll ask him tonight when I see him, ok?"_

_                "It's a deal!"  After that, I left her house to go on my date that evening with Shin._

                "That's how I told Bra," Pan sat in a nearby chair once her storytelling was done.  Videl looked at Vegeta and asked him when Bra had told him about Pan and the Supreme Kai.

                "I learned by accident that your brat was dating the Supreme Kai…"

                _I was in the living room, sitting on the couch, watching a movie on the international channel, Bloodsport, I believe, when your daughter came to see Bra.  I overheard Bra's conversation about a boyfriend, and I assumed she was talking about herself.  After Pan had left, Bra sat in a chair next to the couch and started watching the movie with me.  I decided to ask her myself about this boyfriend._

_                "Bra!" I yelled, loudly, causing her to jump out of her chair a little.  _

_                "Yes, Daddy?"_

_                "Did I hear you tell Kakarott's grandbrat that you had a boyfriend?"_

_                "No, Dad, umm…" Bra looked away from me, slightly nervous._

_                "Spit it out," I ordered._

_                "I can't it's a secret."  I glared at her, letting her know I wasn't backing down, until she came clean with me._

_                "Ok, but you can't tell anyone, not even Mom."  I groaned and rolled my eyes.  Girls and their secret keepings never made any sense to me._

_                "Ok…here it is, Pan's dating the Supreme Kai."  I chuckled a little.  This was the BIG secret.  _

_                "That's all?" I asked, "Hmph, I wonder how freakish their children will be."_

_                "Then you're not mad, Daddy?"_

_                " Why should I be?  It's not like your dating him."_

_                "Then will you help me cover for her?"  I didn't want to at first, but Bra started begging me, and I gave-… agreed to help._

                Gohan and Videl laughed a little.  They knew very well that Vegeta didn't agree to anything, and that Bra forced him into helping out.  However, this was no laughing matter.  Gohan promptly got back onto the subject.

                "I don't understand this, Pan.  You could have any man you want and you choose _him_?  He's not even _human_."  Shin walked toward Gohan.

                "I don't see the point in that," he said, "What matters more to you, your daughters happiness, or your own?"

                "I'm looking out for her well being…"

                "Are you?"  Shin smirked at Gohan, and shook his head slightly.  This greatly increased Gohan's rage.

                "My daughter won't be with some alien freak for the rest of her life."  Pan abruptly got out of her chair.

                "Alien freak, Dad?  Some alien FREAK?  Lets talk about alien freaks," she hissed.

                "What?"  Gohan folded his arms, and Pan's behavior became bitterly sarcastic.

                "Yeah…maybe Grandma ChiChi shouldn't have married Grandpa Goku.  _He's_ not human.  Maybe Mom shouldn't have married _you, Mr. Half-Saiyan_."  

                "Heh, she's more saiyan than the half breeds," Vegeta chuckled.  

Gohan and Pan pointed to him, "You stay out of this!" they shouted.

                "Fine.  My presence here is no longer needed."  He then started his flight back to Capsule Corp.  Pan returned her attention to Gohan.

                "You dare to speak to _me_ of alien freaks, when you're one _yourself_."  Gohan yanked Pan's arm, "That's it, we're going home."  Pan struggled under his grip.

                "Let go!  Stop treating me as if I were five years old!"

                "No!"  Gohan tightened his grip.

                "Ow! Dad, that hurts."  Before they knew it, Shin had broken Gohan's grip and threw him on the ground.

                "Don't touch her!"  Shin protectively stepped in front of Pan.  Gohan quickly got up and shoved Shin.

                "Come on then, Supreme Kai."

                "Don't tempt me, Gohan!"  They got into fighting stances.  Pan and Videl got between them to try to reason with them.

                "Gohan, stop this," Videl pleaded. 

Pan put her hands on Shin's shoulders, "Please don't fight my dad."  He relaxed his guard, and resumed a casual stance.

                "I'll stop, Pan." He smiled a little at her.  She sighed with relief and gave him a small hug, "Thank you."

                "That's it," Gohan muttered.  He pushed his wife and daughter aside and started assaulting Shin.  The first punch landed on Shin's face, knocking him off his feet.  As he got up, he landed a strong uppercut into Gohan's stomach.

                "Think this through, Gohan.  You're already weak from your battle with Vegeta."  Gohan didn't listen and charged at Shin with a punch.  He sidestepped the punch and kicked Gohan's stomach, then elbowed him across his back.  Gohan was on one knee, huffing and puffing.  Shin walked next to him.

                "Are you all right, Gohan?"  Gohan looked at Shin, then elbowed him in the stomach.  Shin countered with a ki blast to the head.  Gohan flew through the air for a moment before rolling on the ground.  He wasn't getting up after that.  Pan and Videl ran to his side.  Videl shook Gohan calling his name, hoping for him to respond.

                "Dad," Pan cried, "please be ok."  Shin walked toward them.  Videl looked at him angrily.

                "Haven't you done enough?"  He looked down for a moment.

                "I'm sorry."  

Videl got up and smacked him across the face.

                "First you corrupt my daughter, now you kill my husband!" she cried.  Shin reached into his pocket and handed something to Videl.  She opened her hand and gasped when she found a senzu bean.  She looked at Shin for a moment, who nodded.

                "I uhh…"

                "You should give that to him while he's still conscious."

                "Umm, right."  Videl knelt beside Gohan and gave him the senzu bean.  Shin turned his back to the three, "I must be going now.  I'll see you later, Pan."  Without another word, the Supreme Kai was gone. 

Gohan sat up and rubbed his head, "We'll see about that."

I hope everyone enjoyed the fic, and I also hope that I caught most of you off guard with the pairing.  There's more to come in later on, so those of you who liked it can expect to see what happens next, now that Gohan and Videl know that Pan is dating the Supreme Kai.   I'd like to give a special thanks to Mad Arab Alhazred for giving me the idea to write this, and for helping me in writing this.


	2. Lunch

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or DBGT.  Just remember that if there are inconsistencies with DBGT, they're there for creative purposes.  Enjoy!

                Secrets and Lies Chapter 2

By: Lady Kreliana

Kreliana@aol.com

Pan flew as fast as she could to get away from her parents.  They were the last people she wanted to see at that particular moment.  She felt too uncomfortable going home, she felt like she was violated there, so she went to the last place Gohan would expect her to go; her grandmother's.  ChiChi saw Pan through the kitchen window, and hurried to greet her as she landed.

                "Pan, what're you doing here?" ChiChi asked.  Pan stood silent, almost ashamed.  ChiChi became concerned.

                "What's wrong?"

                "Grandma, I've done something terrible."  ChiChi raised an eyebrow.

                "Really, such as lie to your parents?"

                "HOW DID YOU KNOW?" she shouted.  

                "You're mother told me yesterday.  I still can't believe you kept your relationship a secret all this time.  Lets go inside.  We'll talk in the house."  Pan and ChiChi walked inside the small, cozy house.  ChiChi had some cooking she had to do, so the two resumed their conversation in the kitchen.  She started cutting up various vegetables when she started lecturing Pan.

                "You know what you did was wrong, Pan.  Secrets and lies never amount to any good."

                "What about surprise parties?"  

                "WOULD YOU BE QUIET AND LISTEN!" ChiChi screamed, "What I meant was that people don't like to be lied to.  Your parents are hurting right now.  Hurting because their daughter kept something important from them.  Hurting because their daughter lied to them time and again," ChiChi sighed and put the vegetables into a pot to cook.

                "Making soup, Grandma?"

                "Yep.  Enough for 40 people…or one woman and some hungry saiyans."  They both laughed.

                "Grandma, I realize that lying to Mom and Dad was wrong.  Maybe if I told them sooner, they wouldn't have been as upset as they were."  Pan looked away for a moment.  ChiChi smiled slightly.

                "I'm glad you're finally realizing that you made a mistake."  ChiChi took a cheesecake out of the refrigerator.  Pan looked toward her grandmother.

                "Grandma?"

                "Yes, Panny?" ChiChi took two slices out of the cheesecake and set them on some plates.

                "If everything I've done was based on a lie, would that mean my feelings for him are wrong too?" ChiChi looked up for a moment.

                "Your feelings for your boyfriend?  Wrong?  I wouldn't think so.  Love can never be wrong." ChiChi looked on dreamily, "I remember when your grandfather was here.  Those were the happiest days of my life.  Just knowing he was with me brought insurmountable joy in my life."  ChiChi brought the cheesecake to the table.

                "What's the cheesecake for?"

                "Bribery.  Now that we've got the moral out of the way, you can give me all the details about your relationship."  Pan laughed lightly and sat in front of one of the slices of cheesecake.  Pan ate a bit of her slice.

                "Mmm, it worked too."

"Ok, first question, who is he?"

"Well," Pan was a little apprehensive, "he's kind of…the Supreme Kai."

"The WHAAAAAT?????"  ChiChi was shocked.  Pan laughed nervously.

"Yeah, Grandma.  Shin, I mean the Supreme Kai, is…"

"The man of your dreams? Oh how sweet." ChiChi went back into her dream state.

"Geez, Grandma, you make it sound so…" before Pan could finish her sentence, ChiChi glared at her.

"So WHAT?"

"Uhh, nothing!"  Pan quickly ate another bite of cheesecake.  ChiChi smiled and ate some of hers.

 Pan talked with ChiChi about relationships for the rest of the afternoon.  Pan would talk a little about her and Shin, then ChiChi would compare it to something she and Goku did.  It was an afternoon that Pan needed.  She was grateful that her grandmother put aside her urge to yell and scream to give her some advice, and to give her someone to talk to.  

                After dinner, Pan decided that she should go home.  Having her confidence restored, she decided she wanted to talk to her parents about this.  As she was flying home, a voice boomed from out of nowhere, calling her name.  She stared into space, wondering who could have called her name.

                "You can't see me, Pan, I'm using King Kai to talk to you."  Pan's eyes lit up as she realized who it was.

                "Grandpa Goku?!?  Is it really you?"

                "Yep."  Pan knew that if Goku was standing beside her, that he'd be giving her a big smile.

                "It's good to hear your voice again." Tears were forming in her eyes.

                "It's good to hear yours too, Panny."

                "You probably know about me and the Supreme Kai, don't you?"

                "Oh yeah!  Everyone here knows about you two.  They're all rooting you two on!"  Pan landed on the ground, with an expressionless look on her face.

                "Everyone here….you mean everyone in heaven knows?"  Goku's voice got even more cheerful.

                "Yeah!  All of us think you two are wonderful together!  And it's a lot of fun watching the four Kais make fun of the Supreme Kai behind his back…"

                "GOKU!" King Kai turned to smack Goku upside the head.  

                "Sorry, King Kai!"  King Kai accidentally cut Goku's telepathic connection to Pan in order to yell at him.

                "Grandpa?  Grandpa!"  A tear fell down Pan's cheek.  Her grandpa was gone again.  She decided not to waste any more time and resumed her flight home.

                In the meantime, Goku was getting yelled at by King Kai.

                "Goku, you idiot!" he shouted, "If you tell her _that, _then the Supreme Kai might fry all of us!  Have you no common sense?"  

                "Aww, come one, King Kai, I don't think the Supreme Kai would do that to you."  Goku's attention was diverted for a moment when he realized his connection with Pan was lost, and that she was probably heading home.

                "Oh no!  King Kai, connect me back to Pan!"

                Pan was almost home when she heard Goku's voice again.

                "Pan!  Sorry about that, heheheh, King Kai and I had a little mishap."

                "Umm, it's ok."

                "Listen, Pan.  Now's not a good time to discuss your relationship with the Supreme Kai with Gohan."  Pan was a little confused.

                "Why not?"

                "He's not thinking clearly.  So much has happened that he hasn't had the time to deal with it rationally.  I just tried talking to him about this, and he basically told me to butt out, and that you're his daughter and he knows what's best for you.   Talking about this right now will only upset him more."

                "Then what do I do?"

                "Wait for him to calm down and collect his thoughts.   Wait until he's ready to discuss this rationally with you."

                "Easier said than done."

                "I know it's not gonna be easy, but things will work out for the best.  Just give things some time."  The last sentence echoed as Goku cut his connection with Pan.

                "Give it some time…" she whispered.  Looking up at the heavens, she realized Goku was right, "Ok, Grandpa.  I'll give it some time."  As she flew home, Pan knew the next few days, possibly even weeks, ahead of her would be tough.  But, she also knew the hardships she would be facing would be worthwhile.

                Tension reigned in the Son household for quite some time.  Gohan refused to even look at his daughter.  All sense of rationality escaped his mind every time he saw her.  As for the Supreme Kai, Gohan belittled him in his mind until it blinded him.  Videl, on the other hand, decided to take different approach to her daughter's relationship.

                "Pan, honey, can you come here for a second?"  

                "Sure, Mom, where are you?"

                "The kitchen."  Pan walked slowly to the kitchen.  She knew what this was about.  Videl was seated at the table, so Pan sat across from her.

                "What's up, Mom?" she asked.  Videl sighed slightly.

                "Pan…" she started.  This would be harder than she thought.  Pan stiffened slightly.

                "Mom, don't tell me to break up with Shin, because I won't."

                "I know, sweetie, I know," Videl patted Pan's hand slightly, "I'm not going to ask you to break up with him.  What I want to say is…I'm sorry."  Pan looked at her mother as if she were insane.

                "What?"

                "I've been a jerk to the Supreme Kai without giving him a chance.  It's taken me a while to get over the shock of you having someone, in fact, I'm still not completely over it," Videl sat back in her chair,  "_Why_ did you lie to us, Pan?  _Why_ didn't you think we'd understand?  You know we wouldn't hate you."  Pan looked away slightly.

                "It's because I was afraid of _this_ happening.  I didn't know how to tell you that I'm dating the Supreme Kai.  I mean, you saw how Dad reacted."

                "I wouldn't take what your father says or does for the next few days to heart.  He's not thinking clearly.  You're his little girl, and it's hard for him to accept you growing up."  Pan laughed a little.  _That's what Grandpa Goku said too,_ she thought.

                "Mom, I don't understand why you're all of a sudden willing to give him a chance."

                "Believe it or not, my dad gave me the idea."  They both chuckled slightly.  Videl got up and poured herself a cup of tea.

                "He reminded me of how he was when I was first dating your father.  He said, 'Do you really wanna put her through _that_, Videl?' and then laughed loudly.  Still, there was truth to what he said.  I don't want you feeling that your father and I will reject you because of who you choose to be with."  Videl looked down at her cup, "I want you to know that we love you no matter what."

                "Thanks, Mom."  

                "One more thing, Pan." Pan was a little nervous.

                "Yeah?" 

                "I'd like to meet him again sometime.  You know, on better terms."

                "Sure thing!"  Pan gave her mother a typical Son smile.

                "How about this Friday around noon?  You only have one class that day and it's finished by 11:00.  Your father won't be home either."

                "Sounds great!  We'll be there."  Pan walked out of the room, leaving her mother to her thoughts.  Videl poured herself another cup of tea and thought about meeting the Supreme Kai.  _This is going to be interesting. I'm just glad Gohan won't be there to start a fight.  I_ will _keep an open mind._  

                The next few days flew by as Videl and Pan secretly made plans for lunch without Gohan knowing.  When Friday did come, Videl was a nervous wreck.  She made chicken teriyaki with rice for the three, which she checked and rechecked anxiously as she waited for the couple.  Just as she was pouring the meal into serving bowls, she heard the door slam shut.

                "Pan, honey, is that you?" 

                "Yeah, Mom, we're here" she yelled.  _No turning back now_, Videl thought.  She wiped her hands on a towel and came out of the kitchen to greet her daughter.

                "Hi, sweetie," Videl gave a quick hug to Pan, she extended her hand to the Supreme Kai, "Nice to meet you again, Supreme Kai."  He took her hand.

                "The pleasure is all mine, Videl.  Please, call me Shin."

                "All right…Shin.  Anyway, I hope you guys are hungry!" 

 Pan perked up, "I am!"  

                "You're always hungry," Videl laughed.  Shin nodded.  Pan pouted slightly.

                "Hey!"  Videl and Shin laughed.  Pan became more agitated.

                "Uhhh, lets just eat ok!"  The two continued to laugh as they entered the dining room.

Once Pan and Shin were seated, Videl went into the kitchen to get the food.  She picked up the bowls with the chicken and rice, was about to pick up the plates when she stopped_. I've got a good idea._

_I'll tell Pan I forgot the plates, and make her get them so I can talk with Shin alone for a few minutes._  Videl returned to the dining room, set down the bowls, and sat in her chair.

"Pan, it seems I forgot the plates.  Would you go into the kitchen and bring them out?"

                "Yeah, Mom.  I know how easy you forget," Pan sarcastically replied.  She got up and went to get the plates.  Videl could now interrogate Shin.

                "So, Shin," Videl put on her inquisitor voice, "how long have you and my daughter been dating?"  Shin sat back in his seat and folded his arms.

                "I believe it's been a little over a year."  Videl was about to ask her next question, when Shin turned to face her, "I know you want to know what I see in your daughter.  I truly enjoy her company.  I assure you, I have no intentions of using her.  The thought hasn't even crossed my mind.  She's a very important part of my life now."

                "Shin," Videl began to apologize for her behavior, but was once again cut off.

                "I'm not offended, Videl.  I understand your concern for your daughter's well being.  I also take no offense to yours and Gohan's actions the first time we met.  It must have shocked you greatly to see her with me."  Before they could say anything else, Pan burst into the dining room with the plates.  Videl thanked Pan, and started serving their lunch.

                "This is great, Mom!" Pan said.

                "Thanks, it's ChiChi's recipe."  The three ate for a few more minutes, until they had completely drained the bowls of rice and chicken.

                "Thank you for lunch, Videl," Shin said.

                "You're welcome." The three sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes, until Videl tried to make conversation with Shin, "I've been dying to ask you, Shin, is Pan your first girlfriend?"

                "Yes, as a matter of fact, she is," he replied, smiling slightly at Pan.

                "Really?  But I thought I read in Pan's diary that you had a breakup with someone."  Shin looked confused for a moment. 

"I'm sorry, but what are you talking about."  

Pan spoke up, "Umm, I think she means you and Kibito.  I briefly mentioned 'that' in my journal."  Now Videl was the one who was confused.

                "Oh, that." Shin looked distraught for a moment.

                "Did I say something wrong?" Videl asked.

                "No, Videl.  Pan is referring to the time when my servant, Kibito, and I fused using Potara earrings to save an entire race from extermination."

                "Did you?"

                "No.  Allow me to explain.  I'll make this as brief as possible.

  We were on a distant planet called Mallay that had been invaded by an unknown scientist that threatened to exterminate the planet's inhibitors.  The Mallites were a race of mages, who depended on the magic exerted from their planets core in order to survive.  Unfortunately, we were too late.  By the time we arrived, he had finished an antimagic device that would cancel out all the magic on the planet.  We couldn't stop the activation.  All of the Mallites died, and the Potara earrings' magic was cancelled out, thus we unfused.  It was a scene from Hell."  Shin stopped and took a sip of tea.  Videl didn't know what to say.  It was one of the worst stories she had ever heard.

                "How horrible," was all she could muster.  He looked away for a moment.

"Yes, it was horrible.  Anyway, since the closest planet to Mallay is Earth, the scientist traveled here during his escape route.  That's when Pan saw us.  We were just starting to come out of our fusion when she saw us.  We didn't have time to explain, so we caught the scientist, killed him, and left.  Pan didn't know it was us until some time later."  Shin looked down for a moment and sighed.  It was obvious that the story of the Mallites was a painful one to tell.  Pan reached across the table and held his hand.  Videl felt like a complete jerk at this moment, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up such an awful subject." Shin didn't even look up, "It's not your fault."

"How awful to watch an entire race die in front of you."

"And since the loss of magic is how they die naturally, the cause of death would be seen as natural to the Shenglong."  The three sat in an awkward silence for some time.  Videl cleared the dishes and brought out some tea.  The three sipped their tea silently, until Shin spilled a drop of his on his shirt. Videl got up and handed him a napkin.

"Thank you," he said as he wiped the tea off his shirt.  It was then that his clothing was brought to her attention.  He was dressed in a maroon button down shirt with black pants, and had black shoes on.  From what she'd heard, the Kais didn't normally dress so casually.  Well, except the Grand Kai.  She _had_ to ask about it.

"Hey, Shin, I always thought that Kais didn't dress like normal people, yet you do.  Why is that?"  Pan laughed in mid sip, nearly spitting her tea all over the table.  Shin buried his face in his hands.  Videl's face turned bright red.

"Is this another bad subject?"  Shin looked up and snickered.

"Only for me.  It's quite amusing for most people."  

"Oh?"  Videl gave him her undivided attention.

"I survived a horrible ordeal with your daughter and her friend, Bra."

"What'd you do to him, Pan?"  She gave her mother a devilish smile.

"We took him SHOPPING!" 

 Videl burst out laughing, "I've got to hear _this!_"

Shin rolled his eyes, "All right, I'll tell you."

_Pan had just told Bra that I was her boyfriend, and Bra wanted to meet me.  I agreed to meet her the following day.  I didn't think any harm could come from it, and I was a little excited to meet Pan's best friend, since I'd never met any of her friends.  We met in front of the Satan City Movie Theatre at about 1:00pm.  After our formalities, the first thing out of Bra's mouth was, "Eww, are you really gonna wear _that_?"  I nodded.  I didn't see any problems with what I was wearing.  Bra asked Pan if I always dressed so formally, and when she told her yes, she got very excited._

_"Bra…NO!" Pan shouted.  Bra giggled._

_"Change of plans, everyone.  We're going SHOPPING!"  She grabbed Pan and I by our wrists and shoved us into her capsule car.  I had never been shopping, so I didn't know what to expect.  Once we arrived at the mall, I realized that I didn't have enough money to go on a shopping spree.  _

_"Pan, Bra, you do realize that I don't have that much money on me," I told them.  Bra whipped out her credit card and said, "No problem!  I'll pay with Mom's card!"_

_"Won't she mind?"_

_"No way, Mom won't care.  She'll think it's another one of my shopping sprees."_

_"If you insist."  I followed them into the mall and started looking at all the different stores.  However, I didn't have much time to look around, since Bra was pushing me into a nearby store. We walked to a rack of clothing, but before Bra started to shop, she took her purse off her shoulder and asked, well forced, me to hold it.  She rummaged through many different things until she finally found something she liked._

_"What do ya think?"  She presented a flamingo pink polo shirt.  Pan and I gagged.  I didn't know what to say, so Pan spoke for me._

_"For crying out loud, Bra, what're you trying to do?  Change him from Supreme Kai to Supreme Sissy?"  Bra put her hands on her hips._

_"I don't see you doing any better."_

_"Watch me." Pan shoved _her_ purse at me and started looking through the clothes too.  _

_I don't know which was more embarrassing, holding two purses while every human male laughed at me, or trying on outfit after outfit while being rated on a scale of one through ten.  Those girls dragged me from clothing store to clothing store.  Once we were done with clothes, Bra had to accessorize.  They took me to shoe stores, jewelry stores (Bra didn't like my earrings), hat booths, and many other places.  It was a nightmare.  A nightmare that didn't end, even once the shopping had stopped._

_Once we were done shopping, I started my journey home.  The shopping bags made the trip home a little more tiring than normal, so I decided to rest for a moment at the Grand Kai's planet.  I was dressed in Adidas' pants with a matching shirt, hat, and shoes.  I figured nobody would recognize me.  Unfortunately, that idiot Grand Kai did._

_"Hey, Supreme Kai, lookin' good!" Not only did he embarrass me by commenting about my clothing, but he also pointed and winked.  Also, once he spoke my name, everyone in heaven knew who I was.  Instantly, a crowd gathered around me, bowing before me and 'admiring' my Earth clothes.  I wanted nothing more than to escape the humility, and just when I thought things couldn't possibly get worse, I heard a cheerful voice behind me._

_"I see Pan and Bra took you shopping."_

_"Yes, Goku, they did."_

_"Heheheh, if your feelings for Pan can outlast shopping with her and Bra, they can outlast anything!"  Goku flashed his typical smile at me.  I was a bit surprised.  For the longest time, I expected Goku to have the same reaction Gohan had to me dating Pan._

_"You're not upset that I'm dating your granddaughter?"  His smile only got bigger._

_"No way!  I'm really happy that Pan's found someone that makes her feel special."  I sighed with relief and we talked for a short while until Kibito arrived to help me with my…bags.  He tried his best not to laugh at me, I could tell, but an occasional snicker escaped him.  Once it was all over, I wanted to lock myself in my home for a millennium."_

Videl tried hard not to laugh.  She knew what a pain it must have been to shop with Pan and Bra.  She shook her head a little.

"It's amazing you survived."  The three laughed a little until the phone rang.  Videl got up to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Videl."  It was Gohan.

"Hi, sweetie, what's up?"

"Not much, I'm almost done with my paperwork here, so I'll be heading home soon." 

"This early?" 

"Yep.  There's nothing else to do here, so I thought I'd spend the afternoon with my beautiful wife, before we go partying tonight."  Videl giggled.

"How soon will you be home?"

"About half an hour."  Videl panicked a little.  She hoped she'd have everything cleaned up by the time Gohan got home.  If not, he'd be wondering why there were three sets of dirty dishes instead of two.

"Ok, dear, I'll be waiting for you."

"Bye!"  She hung up the phone.  Pan walked into the doorway.

"Who was it?"

"Your dad.  He's coming home from work early, so you two better leave before he gets here."

"Ok."

"And remember, your dad's friends are getting together at Master Roshi's tonight for their little reunion thing." Pan shuttered when she thought of Master Roshi.  She hoped he wouldn't try grabbing her in private places like he did with most girls.

"I'll be there, Mom."

"Why don't you bring Shin with you.  It'd be a great opportunity to tell everyone he's your boyfriend."

"Ok.  It's a great idea!"  Videl walked Pan and Shin to the front door.  He put on a black leather jacket before he walked out the door.  Videl couldn't help but comment on it too.

"So, you wear leather jackets too?" she laughed.

"Actually, it's the first time I've worn it."  

"It looks good on you," Pan said.

"You think so?"  Pan looked at him dreamily.

"I've never wanted you more."  Shin's face turned bright red, and Videl gasped.  Pan laughed evilly as she opened the door.

"I'll see you later, Mom."

"Ok, Panny.  It was nice meeting you again, Shin."  He bowed slightly.

"You too, Videl."

Pan and Shin took off at full speed.  They wanted to get as far away from the house as soon as possible, so that Gohan wouldn't sense any trace of their energy.  Shin looked at Pan, who seemed to be in a world of her own.

"Pan, is something wrong?"  She shook her head.

"Not really.  I'm kinda nervous about tonight.  Everyone will know about us."

"Does that bother you?"

"No, I actually can't wait to tell them," she looked at him and smiled, "I'm not ashamed about us.  Even if everyone at the party tonight ridicules us, torments us, laughs at us, and whatever else, I don't care.  I don't care because," she flew in a bit closer, "I'm happy."  Shin took her arm in his.

"So am I."

"I love you.  You know that, right?"

"Yes, and I love you."

Back at the house, Videl had just finished putting away all the dishes from lunch.  She was glad she invited Shin over for lunch.  Seeing her daughter full of joy with the one she loved was all she needed to accept the relationship.  She was so happy for Pan.  Videl knew her daughter had found the kind of love that lasts forever.  Especially since this relationship would _redefine_ the meaning of eternal love.  The sound of a door shutting interrupted her thoughts.

"Videl, I'm home."  Gohan put his coat in the closet as Videl came to greet him.

"Hi sweetie," she gave him a quick peck on the cheek.  She was about to step away when Gohan wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her passionately.  Videl broke the kiss with a giggle.

"What was that for?"  

"I missed you."  Gohan leaned toward her again.

"I missed you too."  He kissed her again.  His hands started roaming her body, as they slowly moved toward the couch.  As much as Videl was enjoying the moment, she knew they had plans for that evening and _couldn't_ go as far as they'd like.  Reluctantly, she broke from his grasp.

"What's wrong, Videl?"

"Gohan, we have that party tonight, remember?  We can't do anything just yet."  Gohan sighed, disappointed.

"It's only 1:30, we have time."  He went in for another kiss, but Videl started laughing.

"The party starts at 3:30, I have to get ready, and it takes half an hour to get to Master Roshi's…" Videl continued talking, but Gohan wasn't listening.  _Boy does she know how to kill the mood_, he thought.  

"…oh, and Pan's bringing the Supreme Kai.  So, what should we wear?  I don't think I'll wear a skirt or shorts, I don't want to give that old man anything to stare at."  That last sentence caught Gohan's attention.  He became infuriated.

"Back it up, Videl.  Pan's bringing that piece of trash Kai with her?  Why?"

"Gohan, that's not a nice thing to say.  You don't even know him!"

"Stop defending him and tell me why he's gotta be there tonight."

"They want to," Videl was trying to find the right words, "announce their relationship to everyone."  Gohan was shaking his head.  He couldn't understand why Videl was all of a sudden "on their side."  

"I don't want him there, Videl."

"Stop being so childish, Gohan!  This is what our daughter wants, this is the man she wants, and the life she wants.  You better start accepting it or you'll lose her."  She turned her back to him.

"I'm only trying to protect her."  He put a hand on her shoulder, "I don't want anything bad to happen to her."  Videl turned toward him slightly.

"Right now, the only person she needs to be protected from is you."  Gohan was about to retaliate when Videl put up her hand to shush him.

"Gohan, lets go to this party tonight and have a good time.  I'm going to get a shower."  Having said that, she went upstairs to take her shower.

Videl came down the stairs dressed in black pants and a blue, v-neck sweater.

"You look great!" Gohan commented.

"Thanks," she put her hands on his arms, "Please don't start anything with the Supreme Kai tonight.  Lets just have a good time, ok?"

"I'll try."

"Promise?"  He smiled at her.

"I promise."  Videl grabbed her purse, and they started for Master Roshi's.


	3. The Party

                Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or DBGT. 

Secrets and Lies Chapter 3

By: Lady Kreliana

Kreliana@aol.com

When Gohan and Videl arrived at Master Roshi's, Pan and Shin still hadn't arrived.  Videl figured that the two would be a few minutes late, to ensure that everyone would be there when they reveal their relationship.  

                "Look!  It's Gohan and Videl!" Puar shouted.  Vegeta, who was walking past her, was covering his ear in pain.

                "Damn you, cat!  Can't you keep that annoying high-pitched voice of yours silent for one evening?  We saiyans have sensitive hearing, you know."  Puar cowered behind Yamcha as Vegeta rubbed his throbbing ear.  Bulma came out of the kitchen to smack Vegeta upside the head.

                "Be nice to her, Vegeta!"  She turned to see Gohan and Videl, "Hi guys, it's great that you could make it."  She took a bite of a bread stick and went back into the kitchen, dragging a rather grumpy Vegeta with her.

                Gohan was thrilled to see his old friends again.  Everyone was there, even Tien and Chaozu.  Getting out and having fun with his friends was exactly what he needed.  For a few brief moments, he relaxed and didn't worry about Pan.  He thought of himself for a change and caught up on old times with his friends.  Though his time of peace was brief, it was sweet.

Some time into the party, Pan arrived with the Supreme Kai_.  Please keep to your promise, Gohan_, Videl thought.  She came through the door alone.  Videl looked at her as if to ask her where Shin was.  

                "Panny!" Marron yelled as she rushed to greet her friend.

                "You haven't changed a bit," Krillin added.  Pan giggled a little.

                "I have in one way at least."

                "Oh?  How's that?"

                "I have a boyfriend."  Everyone was now interested.  Bulma ran out of the kitchen.

                "Did I hear that someone has a boyfriend?"  She asked, frantically looking around to see who it was.  Pan giggled a little more.

                "Yes, Bulma, I have a boyfriend, and I'd like for you guys to meet him."

                "Oh, I love good gossip!"  Bulma sat on the edge of the couch, next to Bra.

                "Believe me, Mom," she said, "You'll LOVE this."  Everyone, except Gohan, waited in anticipation as Pan stepped outside for a moment to tell Shin to come in.  When she did, everyone crowded around Gohan, Videl, and Bra, asking them who the boyfriend was.  As they were getting bogged down with questions, Pan and Shin walked inside, unbeknownst to everyone.  The two laughed as they saw a dozen adults crowd like teenagers around the couch, demanding to know the latest news.

                "Everyone!  EVERYONE!" She shouted.  All heads were turned toward her, then to Shin.  Their eyes widened with shock.  This was certainly the last person they expected to see.  Pan walked to Shin and put her arm around his shoulders.

                "Everyone, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, the Supreme Kai."  Everyone was speechless.  Nobody knew what to say.  All they did was stare at the two with blank expressions.  Shin looked at the group for a moment nervously.  This was harder than he thought.  He'd never had a group of people stare at him like this before.  Sure, people had stared at him before, but it was usually with awe or fear, not shock. 

                "It's, umm, nice to meet all of you again."  His attempt to make polite conversation almost failed until an, "Uh huh," was said in unison.  Trunks looked at the couple and smirked, Goten was simply bewildered.  Marron, on the other hand, was overjoyed for her friend.

                "Wow Pan!" she said, walking back to her friend "This is awesome!  And I thought I was important because I'm dating the president of Capsule Corp." Marron turned to wink at Trunks, who winked back at her.  Master Roshi left the room for a moment, and returned with a keg of beer.

                "I think now's a good time for this, heh heh heeeh!"  The crowd immediately flocked around the keg.  Pan and Shin looked at each other for a moment.

                "Well," she sighed, "We seem to be a bigger shock to everyone than I expected."  Shin nodded.  Bra walked toward them with three cups of beer.

                "Are you really gonna drink all that, Bra?" Pan asked sarcastically.

                "No, stupid, these two," she handed a cup to Pan and another to Shin, "are for you guys."  Shin took a sip of his and cringed.

                "I still don't understand how you mortals can enjoy this."  The girls laughed and drank some from their own cups.  Pan started to get a little nervous, when she saw her father walk toward her.

                "Uhh, hi Dad." 

                "Hi, Pan." He looked away for a moment and sighed, "I'm glad you're here.  Lets have a good time tonight, ok?"

                "Of course, Dad!"  She gave him a big smile.

"It's good to see you, Supreme Kai," he muttered.

"You too, Gohan." Shin gave him a slight smile.  Gohan nodded, and started walking away.

                "OK, VIDEL, I SAID IT!"  He shouted.  Videl buried her face in her hands.

                "So much for peace talks."

                Within a few hours, several kegs had been emptied, causing everyone to feel more 'relaxed,' and, in some cases, less intelligent than normal.  Goten, Trunks, and Marron had been inspecting Pan and Shin while draining their own keg of its contents.

                "Look at them," Trunks half slurred, "They've been sitting like that all night.  Why doesn't he make a move on her or something?"  They looked at the two sitting on the couch.  It was true, they had been sitting there for most of the evening, talking about various things, and making conversation to whomever would care to join them.  Goten walked to Trunks and rested an arm on his shoulder.

                "Hey, that's my niece you're talking about.  But, you're right.  What kind of couple just sits around like that?  They haven't held hands or kissed or anything."

                "Maybe Pan's making you jealous, Trunks," Marron added with a loud giggle.

                "Could be," he laughed, "I mean, who wouldn't want me?"  His joke was ruined when Goten raised his hand.  The other two laughed.

                "Well, if you guys are so damn convinced that my niece, over there, is trying to seduce Trunks, why don't we ask her?"  Goten motioned for them to follow him.  The three couldn't stop laughing as they made their way to the couch.

                "I smell trouble," Pan said, waving her hand in front of her face.  Goten sat beside her, brandishing a drunken smile. 

"And there it is," she groaned.  Trunks went to sit on her other side, and almost landed on Shin.  Instead of apologizing, he laughed and told him to watch out next time.  Marron sat on the armrest.   Pan knew something was up, and she didn't want to get Shin involved.  She had to think of a way to quickly get him away from her three drunken friends.

                "Umm, Shin," she looked at her empty beer cup, "would you throw this away for me?"  He took her cup and went to find a trash can, leaving her with the three.

                "Panny, Panny, Panny," Goten laughed, putting his arm around her shoulder, "We gotta question for ya!"  Pan tensed, she knew this would get ugly.  Goten and Trunks changed when they got drunk, and not in a good way.  Trunks leaned closer to her, almost to the point where he was in her face.

                "Well, we wanna know if you two are for real or not," Trunks laughed before he continued his insults to Pan, "I mean, come on, you two just sit on the couch and don't do anything?  If I were the Supreme Kai, I'd have my hands all over you," Trunks tried to tickle Pan a little, but she quickly removed his hands from her.

                "Not all guys are like you, Trunks."  Pan folded her arms on her chest, slightly embarrassed.  However, Trunks wasn't finished yet.

                "We all know this must be an attempt to get revenge on me for what happened a few years ago," the three started laughing, "Who knew you'd go so far as to get the Supreme Kai!  Wow, I didn't know you had it in ya, Panny!"  

"You guys don't mean this.  I know you don't."

"Aww, come on, everyone knows how you feel about me, Panny."

"Your drunk, I know you don't mean this."  The three just stared at each other for a moment, not making heads or tales of anything.

                "So, does this mean you two are a serious couple?" Marron asked.

                "Yes, Marron.  We are."  The three looked at each other, then at Pan, and burst out laughing again.

                "Oh man, Pan," Trunks stammered, "That's worse.  Nobody knew you were that desperate."  Pan's rage grew, as did her humiliation.  She didn't want to stay in the house any longer and listen to her friends badmouth her relationship, so she ran outside onto the beach.  She knew that they didn't mean what they were saying.  Had they not been drinking, they would never have said those things.  Yet, it still hurt.  It still hurt to listen to her friends call her desperate, even if it was just a joke made in an ill frame of mind.  She sat with her legs to her chest.  This was the second time Trunks had caused her some form of humiliation.

                Back inside, Gohan and the Supreme Kai noticed Pan running outside.  Shin went to check on her, Gohan went to see what Goten and the others did to her.

                "Goten, what the hell did you do to her?"  He demanded.  Goten was too busy laughing, so Trunks sat up and responded instead.

                "Don't be angry, Gohan, we just asked her whether or not she was just trying to make me jealous with this whole Supreme Kai thing."  Gohan was stunned at how utterly stupid the three were acting.  Goten finally got done with his laughing and added his piece to the conversation.

                "Man she must be desperate," he chuckled.  Gohan was about to hit him, when Videl stopped him.

                "Calm down, Gohan!"  She ushered him to a seat where Krillin and 18 were.  Trunks looked at Goten and they started laughing.

                "Dammit, Videl, this is the second time he's humiliated her," Gohan muttered, causing Krillin looked up for a moment.

                "Huh?"  18 looked at him and shook her head.

                "Please excuse my husband, he doesn't get out much."

                "Aww, come on, honey," he laughed.

                "You see, Krillin, a few years ago…"

                "Stop," Gohan interrupted, "I'll tell this."                

_Two years ago, Pan was dating Trunks.  Videl and I weren't too fond of the whole thing.  We both knew what kind of person he was like, but Pan insisted he was different.  She insisted that he actually cared about her, and that he wasn't after getting her in bed.  After they'd been dating for about six months, Videl and I started to trust him.  We figured he wouldn't have stuck around that long if he had one object on his mind.  It was then that we knew Trunks sincerely cared for Pan.  They were happy with each other for a long time.  I was happy for her.  I thought she'd found whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life with._

_One morning, everything changed.  Videl went to the supermarket, because we'd ran out of milk, when she saw some sleazy tabloid magazine with Trunks and Pan on the cover.  It said, "President of Capsule Corp. and Granddaughter of Hercule found Indecently Exposed, Details inside."  Everyone was reading that paper.  Once people noticed Videl, they started asking her all sorts of questions.  She paid for the milk, bought a copy of the paper, and got home as quickly as she could.  Pan and I were still in bed when she came home._

_"Gohan, wake up," she said while shaking me.  I groggily looked up at her._

_"Videl, it's early."  I put my head back on my pillow.  She put the tabloid in my face.  Seeing a picture of my daughter in bed with someone is now my least ideal method of waking up in the morning.  I took the paper from her, looked at it for a moment, and through it on the bed.  The image was too awful, too disgusting to look at._

_"Should we wake Pan up about this?" she asked._

_"No.  By the end of the day, she'll be dealing with this more than she'll want to.  Lets let her rest for a while." We went downstairs and ate our breakfast.  As we were finishing, Pan came into the kitchen with a bright smile on her face._

_"Morning, Mom.  Morning, Dad.  What's for breakfast?"  She sat in a chair across from me.  I sat there expressionless, and slid the paper to her.  She picked it up, thinking it was another ordinary paper, but when she realized it was her on the cover of that thing, she started to panic a little.  I could tell what she was feeling by the looks on her face: Fear, shame, disgust, anger, humiliation, wondering why this had been done to her.  Videl and I didn't say anything.  We didn't know what to say.  Pan abruptly headed for the door.  I stopped her, asking where she was going._

_"I gotta talk about this with Trunks."  Before I could protest, she was heading for Capsule Corp.  I didn't follow her; I knew it was her battle that she had to face alone.  Instead, I waited for her at home with Videl._

_"I feel so bad for her, Gohan," she said._

_"So do I," I felt like a failure as a father at that moment.  I failed to protect my daughter from this terrible disgrace.  _

_About an hour later, Pan returned home…in tears.  She ran upstairs and shut herself in her room.  I instantly knew what happened.  I went up the stairs after her, despite Videl's warnings that I shouldn't and knocked on Pan's door._

_"Panny, are you ok?"  I realize now it was the worst question to have asked._

_" GO AWAY!" she shouted.  Not wanting to put her through any more humiliation by barging into her room and forcing it out of her, I went back into the living room with Videl._

_Pan stayed in her room all day, not coming out once.  Later that day, Videl and I ordered some take out for dinner, and I volunteered to tell Pan we had dinner for her.  I went upstairs and knocked on Pan's door.  I opened it slowly and saw her on her bed, curled up and still crying.  I sat next to her on her bed._

_"Panny, we have some dinner downstairs."  She looked at me for a moment, sat up and burst into tears._

_"He broke up with me, Daddy."  It had been years since she called me 'daddy.'  I knew from that alone that she was in a lot of pain. I held her and let her explain what happened._

"I went to see him today, you know, and when we went inside, he broke up with me.  He kept telling me that he didn't want me to have to go through all this because of him, and about how I didn't deserve this, that this was what was best for the both of us.  I told him I'd go through Hell and back for him, but he just didn't seem to care.  I gave myself to him and he doesn't seem to know what that meant to me."  The rest of her words blurred with sobs.  I wanted nothing more than to take that pain from her.  I hate Trunks Briefs for what he did to my daughter.  I held her for the rest of that evening, and let her cry on my shoulder.  I never want to have to hold her for that reason again.  I never want to see her in that kind of agony again.  He broke her heart, and I'll be damned if that ever happens to her again.

                Krillin sat silent for a moment.  He had no idea that something so horrible had happened to Pan.

                "I can't believe that actually happened.  Damn, I feel really bad for her now," Krillin looked down for a moment, and took a sip of beer.

                "Don't make a big deal out of it, ok Krillin?  She got over it a long time ago, but it still hurts her," Gohan got out of his seat, "I'll be right back, nature calls."  As he walked away, Videl stopped him for a moment.

                "So, _that's_ why you're so against this new relationship Pan has.  It has little to do with her lying to us, and even less to do with his race."  Gohan turned his back to her and kept on walking. 

                "I don't think so Videl."  He chuckled a little as he kept going to the bathroom.  As he did, he thought about what she said.  _You know, Videl, maybe you're right…_he thought.

                Back outside, Shin noticed Pan sitting on the beach and snuck behind her.  He wrapped his arms around her neck, startling her a little.  She looked back to see who it was, and smiled when she saw him.  Slowly, she rested her head on his chest.

                "What a night," she groaned.

                "It has been difficult for you."

                "Yeah.  They're such jerks when they're drunk like that.  They aren't like that normally."

                "I know.  You don't have to defend them, Pan."

                "I…I'm not," she shifted her position slightly, "I'm so glad you're in my life now.  For a while I thought I'd never get over Trunks."  

                "But you did," he whispered.  She nodded.

                "And I moved on.  I realized he wasn't the only one who could mean something to me.  Looking back, I realize he kinda hindered me in a way.  I wasn't myself, I was always 'Trunks' girlfriend.'  Now, I feel like I'm so much more."

                "And you are." He kissed her on the cheek.  She smiled and sighed deeply.

                "Something else bothering you?"  He asked.

                "Not really, I was just wondering…"

                "Yes?"

                "What was your life like before I came into it?"  Shin was taken off guard.  He wasn't expecting her to ask _that._  He stuttered for a moment, until Bulma came stumbling out of the Kame house.

                "There you two are!" she slurred.  She walked toward them and plopped beside them.

                "Heh heh, that reminds me of a story," she giggled.  The two didn't have a clue as to what she was talking about.  They both gave her confused looks.

                "Yeah, the way you're sitting, it reminds me of a story," the two took note to Pan resting her head in Shin's chest.  Bulma continued, "Although it was Goku's head in my lap." They now had looks of horror on their faces; "I was asleep with my legs half straddled, and Goku decided to use my lap as a pillow like he did with his Grandpa Gohan.  Well, he realized I didn't have a…you know, and took my panties off to see why," Bulma burst out laughing, "He started screaming 'NO BALLS! NO BALLS!'  It was great!"  Pan was speechless, as was Shin.  Bulma got up and started to go back inside.  She quickly turned around when she realized she forgot to tell the rest of the story.

                "Oh!  It gets better.  The next day we went to see the old pervert Roshi to get his Dragonball.  Well, he'd only give it to us if I showed him my belly button.  Heheheh, not only did I show him my belly button, but everything else that was private to me at the time."  Bulma laughed loudly as she went back inside.  

                "Well, that was interesting." Pan said while sitting up.

                "Indeed it was," Shin chuckled a little, "But…I think it's more interesting hearing it from Bulma than it was your grandfather."  

                "What?"  

                "Yes," he nodded, "I think he's told every one of the Kais about that story."  Pan started laughing.

                "Oh man!  Bulma's gonna freak when she finds that out!"

                "That's certainly a story that won't be lived down, even in death."  The two laughed evilly.  In the background, they could hear a song, "The Dolphin's Cry," play.  

_The way you're bathed in light  
reminds me of that night  
God laid me down into your rose garden of trust  
and I was swept away  
with nothin' left to say  
some helpless fool  
yeah I was lost in a swoon of peace._

Shin stood up and extended his hand, which Pan graciously accepted.  He elevated himself off the ground slightly, so that he and Pan would be eye to eye and the two embraced for a slow dance.

_You're all I need to find  
so when the time is right  
come to me sweetly, come to me  
come to me _

_Love will lead us, all right  
love will lead us, she will lead us  
can you hear the dolphin's cry?_

                The song's beat picked up, but they did not.  This was their moment, and nothing would disturb it.  Its intimacy only grew when Pan rested her head on his shoulder.

_You're all I need to find  
so when the time is right  
come to me sweetly, come to me  
come to me _

_Love will lead us, all right  
love will lead us, she will lead us  
can you hear the dolphin's cry?_

                A gentle breeze flowed around the couple, seeming to embrace them as tightly, yet gently, as they were each other.  Shin looked at the woman in his arms and pulled her closer to him, protectively, lovingly, never wanting to let her go.

_This crazy fog surrounds me  
you wrap your legs around me  
all I can do to try and breathe  
let me breathe so that I  
so we can go together!_

_Love will lead us, all right  
love will lead us, she will lead us  
can you hear the dolphin's cry?_

_                Pan smiled contently, as she felt his arms tighten around her.  At that moment, everything seemed to become clear to her.  She was his and he was hers.  They were each others, now and forever.  They could see each other's minds, hearts, and souls more clearly than ever before._

See the road rise up to meet us,  
it's in the air we breathe tonight  
love will lead us, she will lead us.

                Pan lifted her head off his shoulder, wanting to look into his eyes for the rest of the song.

Life is like a shooting star  
it don't matter who you are  
if you only run for cover, it's just a waste of time  
we are lost 'til we are found  
this phoenix rises up from the ground  
and all these wars are over

Over  
Over

                As the song started coming to its close, the two leaned in for a kiss, thinking nobody was watching.  

singin' la da da, da da da  
over  
come to me  
singin' la da da da, da da da  
come to me

                The song ended, but they didn't care, they were too fixated on each other…as were every woman in the Kame house. They stood in a nearby window watching them, swooning as if it were a romance film.

                "This is better than Titanic!" Bra whispered, dreamily.  Marron nodded.  When she realized they were being watched, Pan broke their kiss and waved at their audience.  Most of the viewers left slightly embarrassed, Marron and Bra gave the two a thumbs up before they went back to the party.  Shin couldn't help but laugh.  Pan started walking back inside, but stopped when she realized he wasn't behind her.

                "Aren't you going back inside?"

                "…Lonely."

                "Huh?  Lonely?"

                "You asked me what my life was like before you came into it.  It was very lonely."

                "But…what about Kibito?  He's always been with you."

                "True, but I've never had a…_companion before."  This made Pan smile.  She was happy that he considered her to be something more than just a "fling with a mortal."  They stood there for a short while, until Bra appeared in the door and beckoned them to come inside._

                 Gohan watched the two as they came back inside.  _She looks so happy, he thought.  He kept looking at them, and smiled.  Videl sat next to him, and handed him a cup of coffee._

                "Here, I think we'll be needing this," she moaned, taking a sip from her own cup.

                "Thanks."  He sipped his coffee and continued to stare happily at his daughter.    Videl raised an eyebrow, suspiciously.

                "Did I miss something?"

                "I've," Gohan frowned a little, "been a fool these past few weeks."  She nodded.

                "Yes, you have."

                "I'm sorry, Videl, but I'm going home.  You stay and have a good time."  He then kissed his wife, and started to leave.  Pan stopped him on his way out.

                "Dad, where are you going?"

                "I'm going home.  You two have a good time, and don't stay out too late."

                "Ok, Dad.  By the way, I'll be staying at Bra's tonight."

                "That's fine.  I'll see you tomorrow."  Without another word, Gohan flew home.

                The rest of the party went well.  Everyone had as much fun as they could have in one night, and most were sad to see the night end.  As Pan went with Bra and her family to their home, the Supreme Kai started his journey back to his planet, Kaioshinkai.  Inside his mansion, Kibito was waiting for him.

                "Welcome home, Master."

                "Thank you, Kibito," he replied cheerfully.

                "I take it that the party was fun."

                "Yes, it was."  Kibito was silent for a moment.

                "Master, you know I don't approve of this.  You mustn't forsake your duties as Supreme Kai."

                "Must we go through this again?"  Shin sat in a nearby chair, and Kibito folded his arms.

                "You know I don't approve of this, Supreme Kai."

                "I know."

                "And you don't care."  Shin looked at him coldly.

                "No, I don't."

                "The fate of the universe is more important than personal needs," Kibito walked toward a window, gazing at the lush landscapes surrounding the mansion, "Meddling in the affairs of mortals will do you no good."  Shin got out of his chair, and walked toward Kibito.

                "You know how I feel about her.  Can I have no happiness?  Am I to live here as an emotionless prisoner to my position?"  Kibito shook his head.    

                "Emotionless? No.  Prisoner of position?  It is your destiny as Supreme Kai," he turned to face his master, "It is not your relationship that I object to, it is what it's keeping you from that I object to.  The universe needs its Supreme Kai more than you need a relationship."  Shin became visibly angry at Kibito's callous remark.

                "I'll not take advice from one who's never loved," he started to exit the room, "Good night, Kibito."  The door slammed shut behind him, leaving Kibito to his thoughts.  He sat in a chair and slumped his head into his hand.  

                _Master, the universe needs you.  Why can't you see that?  What if a new evil force threatens everything?  If you are gone, who will be there to stop it?  Kibito decided that worrying wasn't the answer.  He would deal with his master at a later time._

                Back on earth, Videl had gotten home from the party.  She walked inside the house, which had no lights on save for one small light coming from her kitchen.  She walked inside the kitchen and saw Gohan sitting at the table, looking at a photo album under the light of a candle.  Upon further inspection, she found out it was an album of Pan's childhood.  Gohan motioned for her to sit beside him, and pointed at a picture.

                "You remember this one, Videl?  This is when we gave her flying lessons," as he turned the page, he let out a quiet sigh, "It seems like yesterday."  Videl rested her head on her hands.

                "It sure does."  Gohan looked at a few more pages with a melancholy look on his face.

                "All I could think about these past few weeks was Pan being hurt like she was before.  I was scared it would happen again," he paused for a moment to take a drink out of a glass next to him, "How could I let it blind me _that much, Videl?"_

                "I don't know, Gohan.  I just don't know.  Maybe all that anger that you had pent up from the Trunks thing came out."

                "Maybe…but that doesn't excuse my behavior.  I've been a complete and total jerk to the two of them.  Starting tomorrow, I've got a lot of apologizing to do."

                "Thank God you've come to your senses, Gohan."

                "It's taken me a while to realize that the Supreme Kai _isn't and never will be Trunks."_

                "I think he'll treat her right.  I don't think we have anything to worry about."

                "I just want her to be happy, and I know she is.  It's just that it's also taken me a while to accept the fact that," Gohan blew the candle out, trying in vain to hide the tear he'd just shed from Videl, "my baby's grown up."  She saw the tear and wrapped her arms around him.  The two sat like that for a while, thinking about their daughter and the times spent with her while she was growing up.  Gohan now accepted that she didn't need his protection anymore, only his love, guidance, and most of all, his support.  

                And it's rumored that at that moment, a certain Saiyan in heaven smiled contently.

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Chapter 3's finally done!  Don't worry; this isn't the end of the fic.  There's still more to come.  Thanks to everyone for reading this, please give me some reviews, I appreciate them all! :)


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